Jury deliberating on 2009 Roache Road slaying

SANTA CRUZ -- On what would have been Richard Campos' 26th birthday, a jury began deliberating the fate of a 26-year-old Watsonville man accused of fatally shooting Campos in 2009.

A jury of three women and nine men will decide whether Angel Torres is guilty of one count of murder.

Torres also faces charges of gang crimes and felony gun possession.

Campos' mother, Anna Romine, was in court Wednesday for closing arguments, which began the day before. Romine has attended every court date since the trial began in late January and watched patiently while attorneys argued the case.

On Sept. 16, 2009, Campos was outside his Watsonville home on Roache Road when he was shot.

The trio were tried on charges of murder and gang crimes in front of a jury in 2013.

While the jury convicted Torres' co-defendants of the charges, it couldn't decide whether Torres was guilty of first- or second-degree murder. A mistrial was declared for Torres and prosecutors chose to retry him.

If convicted, Torres faces life in prison. He is being held in Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.